Apparatus for producing double sheet glazing units



Aug. 6, 1963 G. KlLlAN ET AL APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING DOUBLE SHEETGLAZING UNITS Onginal Filed July 27, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet l FVZ/Av H 5vyenton m M 47 7104 1963 G. KlLlAN ET AL 3,100,148

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING DOUBLE SHEET GLAZING UNITS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Or1ginal Filed July 27, 1956 AT T ORNEXS Aug. 6, 1963 G. KlLlAN ET AL3,100,148

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING DOUBLE SHEET GLAZING UNITS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3Original Filed July 27, 1956 fqv mor' 74 20%6 f J81! ATTORNEIQ Aug. 6,1963 G. KlLlAN ET AL 3,100,148

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING DOUBLE SHEET GLAZING UNITS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Omginal Filed July 27, 1956 3,100,148 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING DGUBLESHEET GLAZING UNITS Georg Kilian and Franz Mainz, Witten (Ruhr),Germany, assignors to Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company, Toledo, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Original application July 27, 1956, Ser. No.600,533, now Patent No. 2,968,895, dated Jan. 24-, 1961. Divided andthis application Dec. 15, 1959, Ser. No. 16,622

7 Claims. (Cl. 65-152) The invention relates to double sheet glazingunits, and more particularly to improved apparatus utilized inmanufacturing these units.

This application is a division of co-pending application Ser. No.600,533, filed July 27, 1956, now Patent No. 2,968,895.

In known methods two spaced apart glass sheets are joined at their edgesby a welding operation advancing along the edges, the spacing of the twosheets being effected by spacer means, which are moved from between thesheets as the welding process advances along the edges of the sheets.Known methods of this kind assure an even spacing of the glass sheets,but have the disadvantage that for properly welding the sheet edgeseither a glass or metal strip has to be welded between the sheet edgesor the welding temperature has to be extremely accurately adjusted, ifdeformations of the glazing unit are to be avoided and a tight seal isto be assured. In addition to this the glazing units manufactured inaccordance with these known methods do not comprise a circumferentialprotruding edge portion, which is most desirable because glazing unitshaving circumferential protruding edge portions may much easier bemounted into window frames or the like.

In accordance with the invention the sheet edges, after being heated upto softening temperature, are pressed or worked together by two presserrolls, engaging the outer surfaces of the edge portions. Thus themanufacture of double glazed units is greatly simplified. A close bondbetween the sheets is assured due to the pressing of the protruding edgeportions by the presser rolls. The protruding edge portion formed by thetwo presser rolls may be positioned in the middle of the rim of theglazing unit. Preferably, however, one of the presser rolls is arrangedso as to contact one of the sheets substantially in the face plane ofsaid sheet, whereas the other one of the two presser rolls is mountedoffset from the face of the other sheet a distance sufficient forcrimping or heading over the well heated edge of the last mentionedsheet towards the first mentioned sheet to such an extent that bothedges can be pressed together by the two presser rolls. The new methodmakes it possible to keep the temperature of the edge portion of thatsheet, which substantially retains its plane surface relatively low andto thereby avoid undesirable twisting and warping of the double glazedunit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the sheets to beunited are, during the process, moved in upright position on a guidingtrack through a furnace and are urged by guide rolls or the like towardsspacer means arranged between the sheets. A very simple and reliableguidance of the sheets is thus obtained and deformations of the sheetsare avoided.

The upper and lower edges of the vertically disposed sheets arepreferably guided by rollers when moving through the furnace. The edgesare joined together at welding stations interposed between adjacentrollers of each of the guiding tracks. After the welding of the upperand lower edges the sheets reach an operational station at which theirtwo vertical edges which are still open are welded together with the aidof compulsory guided vertically movable welding means. These welding3,100,148 Patented Aug. 6, 1963 ice 2 means prefer-ably comprise aswingable mounted spacer roll which can be swung into 'and out of aposition in which it protrudes between the vertical edges, a burner unitand a set of presser rolls for pressing the edges together.

By inserting small capillary tubular members or the like between theedges to be welded together it is possible to provide apertures throughwhich during the tempering period the equalization of pressure takesplace and through which a dry gas e.g. dry air may be fed into theannealed glazing unit. Then the openings will be closed or sealed to beairand water-tight by a special procedure not described.

Apart from the above mentioned method of manufacture of double glazingunits and the above referred to apparatus for manufacturing doubleglazing units it is a further object of the invention to provide adouble glazing unit in which the edge portion of one of the two sheetsis offset towards the other sheet and the edge portion of the othersheet i not offset, the offsetting of the first mentioned edge portionhaving been effected by presser rolls beading over the edge portion of asheet larger than the other sheet said edge portion has come intocontact with the edge portion of the other sheet.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of examplein connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a tunnel furnace (forthe manufacture of double glazing units. The drawing is schematic andmany details of construction are omit-ted for the sake of clarity.

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view showing part of the guiding means onwhich the glass sheets are moved through the furnace.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV IV of FIG. 3.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view showing another part of the guidingmeans on which the double glazing units are supported after welding oftheir horizontal edge portions.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-- VI of FIG. 5.

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view of a glass sheet at the welding stationshowing a modified arrangement of the presser rolls.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII- VIII of FIG. 7.

FIGURE 9 shows the apparatus for welding the vertical edges of thedouble glazing unit in an elevational view.

FIGURE 10 is an elevational view of a modified form of the apparatusshown in FIG. 9, viewed in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 9but without the spacer rolls.

FIGURE 11 is a cross sectional view of a portion of a double glazingunit according to the invention.

In the diagrammatic view of FIGS. v1 and 2 of a tunnel furnace fouroperational stations or zones are provided inside the furnace: apreheating zone A, a welding zone B, in which the upper and lower edgesof a pair of glass sheets are united, a second welding zone C, in whichthe two lateral edges of the sheets are united, and a cooling zone D.The furnace which is designated by the reference numeral 1 is supportedby a frame 2. The spaced apart glass sheets 3, 4 are fed into thefurnace in an upright or vertical position. The mechanism for moving theglass sheets into and through the furnace is not shown and forms no partof the present invention. A

suitable pusher type mechanism may be used for this purpose. Whenpassing through the tunnel furnace *1 the sheets travel between lowerand upper guiding means 5, 6. The guiding means and 6 are preferably soarrangedas to be movable towards or away from one another in order toaccommodate sheets of different height between them. Adjustment of theguiding means can for instance be effected by changing the position ofthe guiding means 5, 6 on the supporting arms 7. The travelling sheetscan either be supported by suspension from the upper guiding means, oras it is shown in the modifications described below, be supported on thelower guiding means. In the embodiment of the invention shown as examplein FIGURES 1 and 2 the double sheet glazing units are made from twosheets of equal dimensions, the edge portion of the finished glazingunit being positioned in the middle of the rim of the glazing unit. InFIGS. 3 to 6 the two sheets 3, 4 of diiferent size to be united travelon a roller guide way comprising a plurality of sets of supporting rolls8, 9. Corresponding rolls 8, 9 can, as shown in the drawing be used inthe upper guiding means for guiding the upper edges of the sheets.Spacer rolls 1t) protruding into the space between two juxtaposed sheetsare also provided. The lateral surfaces of the disk like rolls 10converge from the center toward the circumference so that these lateralsurfaces only come in contact with the edge portions of the sheets laterto be united.

Two supporting rolls 8, 9 and a spacer roll 10 disposed between thesetwo supporting rolls form a set of rolls arranged on a single shaft 11which is fastened by means of supporting members 12 to a beam 13horizontally extending through the tunnel furnace. The glass sheets 3, 4are held in their upright position by means of guide rolls 14, 14 incontact with the edge portions of the outer surfaces of the sheets. Theguide rolls are rotatably fastened to horizontal supporting beams 15extending parallel to the beams 13. Preferably a pair of opposed guidingrolls 14, 14 is arranged adjacent to the supporting and spacer rolls 8,9, 10.

After entering the furnace the temperature on the outer surfaces and onthe inner surfaces of the sheet will rise at a diiferent rate, so thatheat motion will occur in the sheets until the temperatures on bothsides of the sheets are equally high. To avoid breaking of the sheetsdue to undesired deformations it has been found of advantage toswingably support guide rolls disposed near the furnace entrance and dothis preferably in such a way that these rolls when swung out by theheat motion are biased to return to their normal position.

At the beginning of the operation the door 16 of the tunnel furnace isopened. A pair of sheets is then placed on the roller guide way andpushed into the preheating zone. As soon as the sheets have, after thedoor has been closed, reached the desired working temperature, they arepushed along the roller guide way into the welding zone B. During theirtravel through this zone the upper and lower edges of the sheets aremoved successively or simultaneously past the welding stations 17, wherethese edges are welded together.

After leaving the last ones of the series of supporting and spacerroller sets the sheets move towards a spacer rod 18 (FIGS. 7 and 8)provided with a hook shape-d extension 19 extending horizontally throughthe burner zone. This spacer rod is disposed in line with the spacerrolls so that it enters the space between the sheets when the sheets aremoving past it. These rods serve to :keep the sheets from being pushedinto contact with one another when the lower resp. upper edge zones ofthe sheets are heated by the flames of the burners 20 up to such atemperature that they may subsequently be pressed together by the drivenpresser rolls 21, 21' (see FIGS. 5 to 8). The presser rolls are disposedopposite one another on the upper and lower edge portions of the outersurfaces. of the sheets. One of the presser rolls is arranged in anoffset position relative to the corresponding guide roll 14 or 14. Thisoffset arrangement of one of the guide rolls make it possible to obtaindouble glazed units in which one outer side of the welded edge portionis aligned with the outer surface of one of the sheets (see FIG. 6).Thereby the burners should be adjusted in such a manner that the edge ofthe sheet of the finished glazing unit which substantially retains itsplane surface, will be less heated than the edge of the other sheetwhich is to be beaded towards the first mentioned sheet.

The guide rolls as well as details of the pressed roll drive and detailsof the burners are not shown in the schematic views of FIGS. 7 and 8.Conventional burners and drive mechanisms may be used.

After passing the burners 20 and the presser rollers 21, 21 the sheetsnow welded together at their upper and lower edges are moved into theoperational zone C. Dur ing such movement the sheets are supported onrollers 22. In the zone C the lateral edges of the sheets are welded bywelding devices or means 23 which can be moved vertically along thevertical edges of the sheets.

The vertically moving welding means is mounted on carrier means 24(FIGS. 9 and 10) which extend through the wall of the furnace 1.Preferably tubular carrier means 24 are used which can be raised andlowered by suitable mechanism. The welding means preferably comprise aspacer device usually a roll 25 (FIG. 9) which is swingably mounted, sothat it can be swung into and out of the space between the lateral edgesof the two sheets. Burners 26 are mounted below the spacer means. Thegas supply pipe for the burners can for instance go through the hollowcarrier means. Be low the burner two presser rolls 27, 27' are arranged,one of which (27') is mounted adjustably so that it can be moved towardsand away from the other presser roll, if the thickness of the glasssheets vanies. The shafts of the rolls 27, 27' are provided with meshingspur pinions 28, 28' so that only one of the pinions has to be connectedwith a driving mechanism. Various driving mechanisms of known type maybe used. For instance the drive may be effected by means of a wire or athin belt of tubular cross section or by means of a flexible shaft or byshaft and gear drive through the tubular carrier means.

In the modification shown, two welding means are mounted on said carriermeans. One of the welding units is facing towards the entrance of thefurnace and the other one towards the outlet end of the furnace (seeFIG. 1). This arrangement makes it possible to simultaneously weld theforward facing edge of one glazing unit and the rearward facing edge ofa glazing unit of which the forward edge has already been welded in aprevious working step.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for manufacturing double sheet glazing units comprising afurnace, upper and lower guide means disposed within said furnace andoperable to support two glass sheets in parallelly spaced face-to-facerelationship in an upright position for movement through said furnace,first burner means disposed adjacent said guide means to heat the upperand lower edges of the glass sheets, first driven rolling presser meansdisposed adjacent said first burner means, a second burner means, asecond rolling presser means disposed adjacent said second burner means,means mounting said second burner and pressing means for verticalmovement between said hpper and lower guide means, said first burner andpresser means serving to unite the upper and lower edges of the glasssheets, and said second burner and presser means serving to unite thevertical edges of the glass sheets.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first guiding meanscomprises two roller tracks horizontally extending through the furnace,said roller tracks being vertically spaced apart for a distancecorresponding to the height of the glass sheets, the rolls forming saidtracks consisting of two outer rolls serving as guides for the upper andlower edges of the two glass sheets and a spacer roll having a largerdiameter than said first mentioned rolls and partially extending betweensaid two glass sheets.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said outer rolls havedifierent diameters.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said guiding means alsocomprises guide rolls engaging the outer surfaces of said two glasssheets to prevent lateral movement thereof.

5. Apparatus according to claim *1 wherein spacer rods are providedadjacent said upper and lower guiding means, said spacer rods havinghookshaped horizontal extensions extending parallel to said first burnermeans and being located so as to enter the space between the two glasssheets when said sheets are moved past the first burner and firstpresser means.

6. Apparatus for manufacturing double sheet glazing units as defined inclaim 1, wherein said second burner and presser mounting means comprisea vertically movable carrier extending through a wall of said furnace.

7. Apparatus for manufacturing double sheet glazing units as defined inclaim 6, a swingably mounted spacer means mounted on said carrier meansadjacent said burner means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,984,942 Owen Dec. 18, 1934 2,116,297 Aurien May 3, 1938 2,172,899Barnard Sept. 12, 1939 2,761,248 Cowley et a1. Sept. 4, 1956 2,788,105Clayton Apr. 9, 1957 2,964,878 Montgomery et a1 Dec. 20, 1960 SharpSept. 12, 1961

1. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING DOUBLE SHEET GLAZING UNITS COMPRISING AFURNACE, UPPER AND LOWER GUIDE MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID FURNACE ANDOPERABLE TO SUPPORT TWO GLASS SHEETS IN PARALLELLY SPACED FACE-TO-FACERELATIONSHIP IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION FOR MOVEMENT THROUGH SAID FURNACE,FIRST BURNER MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID GUIDE MEANS TO HEAT THE UPPERAND LOWER EDGES OF THE GLASS SHEETS, FIRST DRIVEN ROLLING PRESSER MEANSDISPOSED ADJACENT SAID FIRST BURNER MEANS, A SECOND BUENER MEANS, ASECOND ROLLING PRESSER MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID SECOND BURNER MEANS,MEANS MOUNTING SAID SECOND BURNER AND PRESSING MEANS FOR VERTICALMOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER GUIDE MENAS, SAID FIRST BURNER ANDPRESSER MEANS SERVING TO UNITE THE UPPER AND A LOWER EDGES OF THE GLASSSHEETS, AND SAID SECOND BURNER AND A PRESSER MEANS SERVING TO UNITE THEVERTICAL EDGES OF THE GLASS SHEETS.